The present invention broadly relates to an article of athletic footwear and, more specifically, pertains to a new and improved construction of a ski boot.
Generally speaking, the article of athletic footwear of the present invention comprises a shoe upper portion with regions having different bending characteristics.
Synthetic or plastic ski boots possess a relatively stiff or rigid shoe upper portion which greatly impedes or hinders walking therewith as well as bending of the lower leg in a forward and also in a rearward direction. Several proposals for the elimination of these disadvantages have therefore already been made. In this respect ski boots are known which have corrugations or undulations or wavy portions in the shin-instep region such as disclosed, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,842 and International patent publication WO 81/00,507. However, although this feature facilitates bending of the lower leg in the forward direction, such can not be considered as having sufficiently overcome the abovementioned disadvantages to the required extent. Furthermore, it should be noted that lower temperatures cause a decrease of the bending or flexural elasticity also of or wavy the corrugated regions of the shoe upper portion.
European Patent Publication No. 0,053,340 has further proposed ski boots in which material possessing rubber-like elastic properties is inserted into slits in the instep-shin region of the shoe upper portion. Although these inserts, which upon bending of the lower leg are not elastically deflected but instead are compressed, and also cause the forward movement of the shoe upper portion to be dampened and the resilience properties or characteristics of the shoe upper portion to be improved, nonetheless a considerable expenditure with respect to fabrication is necessary.